Sheet metal reel and method of making same



Jan. 18, 1944. .AH BA1-Eg 2,339,245

SHEET METAL REEL AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Jan. 23, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Jan. 1s, 1944.

SHEET METAL Patented Jan. 18, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHEET METAL REEL AND METHOD OF MAKING SAM 11 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and improved sheet metal reel and method of making the same.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a reel, the body of which is of one-piece corrugated sheet metal construction, with a view to lightness, strength, and durability combined with low cost and attractive appearance.

Another object consists in the application of a corrugated sheet metal reel body on a one-piece cast cross-bar by means of whichthe reel is adapted to be mounted for rotation, as, for example, where the reel is to be used for garden hose and the support for the reel is attached more or less permanently to the faucet in a familiar fashion.

Another important object of the invention consists in the improved method of making the reel body so that the corrugations are of full depth in the portion of smallest diameter, tapering radially outwardly to very shallow or zero depth in both flanges and terminating in rolled or curled peripheral edge portions. Thisconstruction, in accordance with the invention, is obtained by corrugating a strip of sheet metal, rolling the same to circular form and joining the ends, and then forming, pressing, or rolling the ring-shaped piece substantially to the final flanged shape desired, although the corrugating maybe done after the strip has been rolled to circular form and the ends joined together. In accordance with the invention, th'e edge portions ofthe flanges are nally folded or rolled and, if desired, a reinforcing wire is inserted in these rolled portions.

'I'he invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front view of a garden hose reel made in accordance with my invention and indicating in dotted lines how the same is adapted to carry a garden hose and be attached to and supported on a faucet;

Fig. 2 is a section on a larger scale on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, with the reel turned so that the cross-bar is in the vertical plane of the faucet;

' Fig. 3 is Va sectional detail on th'e line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are views illustrating three steps in the methodof forming the reel body, Fig. rI being a perspective view of the ringshaped body blank illustrated in side elevation in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail on the line s-a of Fig.

Fig. 9 is a view partly in section and partly in side elevation of the reel body as finally produced from the ring-shaped body blank of Figs. 6 and 7 and Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional detail on th'e line Ill-I0 of Fig. 9.

'I'he' same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts throughout the views.

Referring rst to Figs. 1 to 3, the numeral II designates the one-piece sheet metal body of the reel or spool of my invention, and I2 designates the one-piece cast cross-bar thereof secured by means of the pad portions I 3 on its opposite ends to the inside of the reel at diametrically opposite? points. The reel body II is produced in accordance with the method hereinafter described to provide longitudinal corrugations I4 of a predetermined depth inr theportion l5 Hof smallest di-V ameter, tapering radially outwardly in the flange portions I6 to shallow or zero depth at the curled or rolled peripheral edge portions I1. At I 8 there are indicated reinforcing wires inserted in the rolled peripheral edge portions; A' one-piece sheet metal reel body of such corrugated form presents a neat and attractive appearance and is light and rugged and not nearly so apt to bend out of shape as other reels with which I am familiar. The corrugations are used to advantage also in fastening the pad portions vI3 of the cross? bar I2 to the reel body, the pad portions I3 hav` ing parallel grooves I9 formed therein to con' form to th'e currugations and being recessed at the ends of at least two of these grooves, as inv dicated at 20, to t in the fillets formed when the sheet metal of the reel body is bent radially inwardly on opposite sides of the pad portions I3- of the cross-bar at the corrugations' registering with these grooves. 'This makes the cross-bar rigid with the reel body without necessitating riveting or any other kind of fastening. The cross-bar, kwhich might be of any other shape suitable for the present purpose, is of channel; cross-section between the pad portions I3, as in-W dicated at 22, except for the short tubular porlf. tion 23 from one end of which a threaded neck@ portion 24 extends for attachment of 'the garden', hose H. A nipple 25 is threaded in a hole 26.on. the axis of rotation of the reel. This -nipple-is entered in an elbow fitting 21, which is arranged" to beattached more or less permanently to the faucet F by means of a union 28, in which a gasket 29 is provided to avoid likelihood of leakage.'

A gland nut 30 threads on the other end of the elbow fitting 21 and compresses packing rings-- the inner end of the garden h'ose may be extended to the necky 24 for connection therewith, it being understood that the hose is arranged to be wound onto the reel and unwound without removing the reel from the faucet, the reel being rotatably mounted on the faucet by'rneans of the,

nipple 25, and the hose being connected with theV faucet through the same nipple.

The production of the double anged body Il of this reel or spool presented a rather diiiicult problem when viewed in the light of old -methods commonly employed for flangng metal rings or drums', such as rolling, spinning, drawing, pressingk or forming; and forging or extruding'. Such operations have'been'performed by hotA or cold working, depending on the thickness of metal used and on the height of ange desired. None of these methods used in the: conventional way was found to be suitable for the present article for certain reasons. For example, the height of flange for any given metal thickness is strictly limited with these old methods by the ductility of the material, although flange height is' sometimes increased by annealing and reworking, which, however, means proportionately increased cost. The novel method or process hereinafter outlined is especially' suitable forv thin sheet metal where high flanges in proportion to diameter are required. Lower flanges in proportion to diameter may, of course, be produced easily by this method, but they chief application of this method is expected to be to those constructions where height of ang'e or desired distance between flanges is notobtainable economically by any other method.

The body Il of the reel or spool according to the novel method of my invention is formed from a single strip of sheet metal, indicated at 35 in Fig. 4. This piece is then corrugated transversely, as indicated at 36 in Figs. 5 and 8, and the corrugated piece is then rolled to the circular form indicated at 31 in Figs. 6 and '7 and the ends joined together along the line 38, as by welding, lock-seeming, soldering, or otherwise. If desired, the Vilat'strip 35 may be rolled to circular form and the ends joined together and the corrugating can be taken care of at that point, although' the other procedure is preferred, because it is simpler and eliminates any danger of disrupting or damaging the joint between the ends. The ring-shaped corrugated body `blank in the form shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is then formed, pressed, or rolled to the anged shape indicated at 39 in Figs. 9 and 10, in which the corrugations I4 remain the same depth in that portion l of the reel which is of smallest diameter andwhich is of the'same diameter as the ring-shaped body blank 31 of Figs. 6 and 7. In the flanges l5, however, the corrugations diminish in depth radially outwardly, reaching shallow or zero depth at the outer edge `portions I1, which may be folded or rolled but are shown as rolled over reinforcing wires- I8. By the method outlined any angle of flange required may be produced. The wires may,

of course, be omitted. VIhe method involves minimum handling of the article and the cost of production is proportionately low. Furthermore the corrugated construction makes for strength and durability as well as attractive appearance. Due to the corrugations, lighter gauge sheet metal can be employed than would otherwise be possible and thus an appreciable saving in the cost of the material is realized.

With this improved method there is no trimming and consequent wasting of material and the procedure, as should be clear from the description, is. very simple and subject to; exact calculation. For example, assuming that a drum is required having a 14" inside diameter and 22" outside diameter and 12" width, the calculations 'arefas follows:

L'=l'ength of sheet required=circumference of 22 circle=22 3.1416--a1lowance for welding or joining. In practice the sheet is usually made shorterv than the figured length and is stretched somewhat in forming to help remove corrugations;

W=width of sheet-l-allowance forv rolled edges.

- After the sheet is cut to the dimension L x W, the same is corrugated to the reduced length l,

When the ends of the corrugated sheet have been joined, one o-r both anges may be formed by a single stroke of the press, or by any other process known to the trade. Various widths of drums may be made with the same equipment by merely varying the width W. The thicknessl of the sheet isdetermined to suit service conditions. For instance, if used for winding wire cable, the sheet employed is much thicker than where the drum, reel, or spool produced is intended to be used for cotton cord. The same method outlined may be used to construct a reel or drum of two-piece construction, wherein each annular half isV flanged after corrugation and the two halves are joined together by welding or otherwise joining the parts circumferentially around the middle of the reel.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advan-'- tages of my invention. The appended claims have been drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. An annulus of sheet material comprising a hub portion having longitudinal corrugations of substantially uniform width and depth, and haw ing an annular outwardly flaring flange on one therein coextensive with the longitudinal corrugations and diminishing in depth at a substan tially uniform rate throughout their length through the vcurved .connecting portion betweenv the hu-b and flange and from the inner to the.

outer circumference of the flange.

2. An annulus of sheet material comprising a-v hub portion having longitudinal corrugationsof substantially uniform width and depth, and havf; ing an annular outwardly flaring flange on each-v end thereof projecting outwardly at substantially more than relative to the hub and joined toA the hub by curved connecting portions which are of large radius in relation to the radial length of? said anges, said flanges having radial corrugations therein coextensive with the longitudinali corrugations and diminishing in depth at a-sub stantially uniform rate throughout their length through the curved connecting portions between 2.

2,339,224'5 the hub and flanges and fromtheqinner'tothef outer circumference of the'flanges.

3. In combination,anannulusfofsheet-material having longitudinal corrugations of substantially uniform Width and'depth; and means intermediate the ends of said annulus for supporting the same, comprising a cross-barhaving transVersely grooVed end portions iittinginthe longitudinal corrugations, said cross-bar being disposedsubstantially diametrically in said annulusand held against axial displacement with .respect thereto.

4; In combination, an annulus of sheet material havingA longitudinal corrugations of substantially. uniform Width and depth, and means intermediate'the ends of said annulus fo'rsupporting the same, comprising a cross-bar lhaving transversely grooved end portions tting in the longitudinal corrugations, said cross-bar being disposed substantially diametrically in said annulus, and means for holding said cross-bar against axial displacement relative to the annulus, comprising integral radially inwardly bent portions of one or more of said longitudinal corrugations engaging the opposite sides of the end portions of the cross-bar y 5. The method of making a sheet metal reel or spool, which comprises cutting a rectangular strip of flat sheet metal to the length and width desired, the length corresponding substantially to the circumference of the outer periphery of the flanges of the ultimate reel, then forming the strip to circular shape and joining the ends to form a ring-shaped body, corrugating the sheet metal so that the corrugations extend lengthwise of the reel and substantially parallel to the axis of rotation thereof and so that the corrugated body is substantially equal in diameter to the hub portion of the ultimate reel, and finally gradually flaring the ends of the reel body on curves of large radius to form annular flanges projecting outwardly at substantially more than 90 relative to the hub and in which the corrugations diminish in depth at a substantially uniform rate throughout their length from the inner to the outer circumference of the flanges and through the curved connecting portions between the flanges and hub.

6. The method of making a sheet metal reel or spool, which comprises cutting a rectangular strip of flat sheet metal to the length and Width desired, the length corresponding substantially to the circumference of the outer periphery of the flanges of the ultimate reel, then forming the strip to circular shape and joining the ends to form a ring-shaped body, corrugating the sheet metal so that the corrugations extend lengthwise of the reel and substantially parallel to the axis of rotation thereof and so that the corrugated body is substantially equal in diameter to the hubv portion of the ultimate reel, gradually flaring the ends of the reel body on curves of large radius to form annular flanges projecting outwardly at substantially more than 90 relative to the hub and-in which the corrugations diminish in depth at a substantially uniform rate throughout their length from the inner to the outer circumference of the flanges and through the curved connecting portions between the flanges and hub, the corrugations having substantially zero depth at the outer edge portions of the flanges, and finally folding the edge portions annularly to form a reinforcing rim on each flange.

7. The method of making a sheet metal reel or spool, which ycomprises cutting a rectangular strip of flat sheet metal to the length and Width desired, the-length corresponding substantially:tov thev circumference of theouter periphery of theA flanges of the ultimate reel, then forming the strip'to circular shape and joining the endst'o form a ring-shaped body, corrugating the sheet metal so that the corrugations extend lengthwise' of the reel and substantially parallel to thefaxis of rotation thereof and so that the corrugated body is substantially equal in diameter to the hub portion of the ultimate reel, gradually flaring the ends. of the reel body on curves of large radius to. form annular flanges projecting outwardly at substantially more than relative tothe hub and in which the corrugations diminish in depth at asubstantially uniform rate throughout their length from the inner to the outer circumference of the anges and through the curved connect# ing portions betweeny the flanges and hub, the. corrugations having substantially zero depth at the outer edge portions of the flanges, and finally folding the edge portions over reinforcing wire rings to form a, reinforced rim portion on each of said flanges.

8. 'I'he method of making a sheet metal reel or spool, which comprises cutting a rectangular strip of flat sheet metal to the length and width desired, the length corresponding substantially to the circumference of the outer periphery of the flanges of the ultimate reel, then corrugating the strip transversely so that the corrugations extend substantially parallel to the ultimate axis of rotation of the reel and so that the length of the corrugated strip corresponds substantially to the circumference of the hub portion of the ultimate reel, then forming the corrugated strip to circular shape and joining the ends to form a ring-shaped body, and finally gradually flaring the ends of the reel body on curves of large radius to form annular flanges projecting outwardly at substantially more than 90 relative to the hubv and in which the corrugations diminish in depth at a substantially uniform rate throughout their length from the beginning to the end of the flared portions, inclu-ding the curved connecting portions between the flanges and hub.

9. The method of making a sheet metal reel or spool, which comprises cutting a rectangular strip of flat sheet metal t0 the length and Width desired, the length corresponding substantially to the circumference of the outer periphery of the flanges of the ultimate reel, then corrugating the strip transversely so that the corrugations extend substantially parallel to the ultimate axis of rotation of the reel and so that the length of the cor-A rugated strip corresponds substantially to the circumference of the hub portion of the ultimate reel, then forming the corrugated strip to circular shape and joining the ends to forma ring-shaped body, gradually aring the ends of the reel body on curves of large radius to form annular flanges projecting outwardly at substantially more than 90 relative to the hub and in which the corrugations diminish in depth at a substantially uniform rate throughout their length from the beginning to the end of the flared portions, including the curved connecting portions between the flanges and hub, the corrugatons having substantially zero depth at the outer edge portions of the flanges, and finally folding the edge portions annularly to form a reinforced rim on each flange.

l0. The method of making a sheet metal reel or spool, which comprises cutting a rectangular strip of flat sheet metal to the length and width desired, the length corresponding substantially to the circumference of the outer periphery of the flanges Vof the ultimate reel, then corrugatin'g the strip transversely so that the corrugations extend substantially parallel to the ultimate axis of rotation of the reel, and so that the length of the corrugated strip corresponds substantially to the circumference of the hub portion of the ultimate reel, then forming the corrugated strip to circular shape and joining the ends to form a ring-shaped body, gradually flaring the ends of the reel body on curves of large radius to form annulan flanges projecting outwardly at sub, stantially more than 90 relative to the hub and in which the corrugations diminish in depth at a substantially uniform rate throughout their length from the beginning to the 4end of the flared portions, including the curved connecting portions between the anges and hub, the corrugations having substantially zero depth at the outer edge portions of theflanges, and iinally folding the edge portions over reinforcing wire rings to form a reinforced rim portion on each of said flanges.

11. In combination, an annulus of sheet material having longitudinal corrugations of substantially uniform width and depth, and a cross-bar disposed diametrically in said annulus intermediate the ends thereof having end portions enlarged in a, direction parallel to the axis of said annulus and provided with substantially parallel grooves in the outer faces thereof on lines substantially parallel to the axis of said annulus closely receiving longitudinal corrugations thereof, the ends of one or more of the grooves being recessed and the corrugations entered in said grooves having integral portions projecting radially inwardly into said recesses. Y

ALBERT H. BATES. 

